Ball-warper traverse mechanism



April 8, 1930. H. D. COLMAN B fiLL WARPER TRAVERSE MECHANISM Filed April 19, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Howard D. Colman BY v ATTORNEYS 3. FRO/v7 VIEW April 8, 1930. COLMAN v 1,753,503 I BALL WARPER TRAVERSE MECHANISM Filed April 19, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Howard D. Colman MMM ATTORNEYS April 8, 1930. H. D. COLMAN BALL WARPER TRAVERSE MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 19, 1928 Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE HOWARD D.- GOL'MAN, or nocxronn, ILLINOIS, AssIenon iro BARBER-coLMAN com:-

PANY, or nocxronn, ILLINOISLAY CORPORATION or ILLINOIS BALL-WARPER TRAVERSE MECHANISM Application filed April 19,

This invention relates to machines for producing a cross-wound ball of warp yarn which has been gathered into an untwisted chain. In such a machine or ball warper,

the chain is conducted to the ball by means of a guide or trumpet which is reciprocated lon itudinally of the ball. Before the travel oftlie guide is reversed at the ends of the ball, the guide is necessarily caused to slow down.

As a result of such slowing down of the guide, more yarn is wound on the end portions of the ball than on the intermediate portion, the tendency, therefore, being to make the ends of the ball of somewhat larger diameter than the main portion of the ball. I This is particularly objectionable when it is necessary that the ball be wound under considerable pressure, as is the case with high-speed warpers such as those shown, for eXample,inPatent No. 1,366,447, dated January 25, 1921, and Patent #1,74s1,757, dated December 31, 1929. The pressure of the means employed to prevent bounding of the ball is applied particularly to the built-up end portions and results in causing the ends of theball tobulge. The bulging yarn usually becomes quite loose and may tangle during the subsequent step of unwinding the yarn. Moreover, while the ball is being handled or transported. in the mill, the loosebulging yarn is, liable to become soiled, snarled and broken.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide impro'vedmechanism for winding the chain onthe ballinsuch a manner as to reduce to aminimum thetendency to build up the ends of the ball.

Traverse mechanisms heretofore commonly employed embody one or more cam cylinders for reciprocating the guide or trumpet. Such mechanisms usually project in front of the warper to suchan extent that it is inconvenient for the operative to reach the leasing comb. Hence it is an object/of the present invention to provide a traverse mechanism which shall not extend so far forward of the warper as to cause inconvenience to the operative.

A further object of the invention is to'provide a traverse" mechanism which may be 1928. Serial No. 271,203.

readily applied to and removed from a beam warper.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a right-hand end view of a traverse mechanism embodying the features of my invention, saidmechanism being shown in operative relation to a warper, the latter peing fragnientarily illustrated in dotted Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the traverse mechanism upon a larger scale than that of Fig. 1, theview being taken in the plane of line'2 2 of Fig. l

3 is a front elevation of the traverse mechanism; 7

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the traverse mthanism with certain parts in section, a portion of the framework of the warper being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation ner as topermit the ball to rest uponthe periphery of the drum 'A. Reference may be made to said Patent No. 1,336,447 for an understanding of the mannerin wliich' the ball is supported upon the driving drum A and the means-by which theball is pressed against the drum. I

The traverse mechanism comprises an elongated framework 1 adapted to beipositioned in front of a beam warper and provided with rollers 2 by means of which said framework is supported upon the floor. The framework riage 5 slidably mounted upon two parallel guide rods 6 extending parallel with the aXis of the friction driving drum 'A. The carriage 5'is reciprocated by means including a sprocket chain 7 carried upon two sprocket wheels 8 and 9, the carriage 5-being connected to the chain at 10 by means of. a connecting rod 11. Rigidly connected to the sprocket wheel 9 is a bevel gear 12 (Fig. 1) that meshes with a bevel gear 13. The latter is rigid with a bevel gear 14 that meshes with a bevel gear 15. The gear 15 is fixed upon a shaft 16 upon which is secured a spur gear 17 which meshes with an intermediate gear 18, the latter in turn meshing with a pinion 19 fast upon the right-hand end of the shaft E of the driving drum A.

' In order that slack in thechain may be taken up, thesprocket wheel 8 is mounted upon a stud 20 (Fig. 4) which is carried upon 7 a slide 21mounted in guideways 22 (Fig. 6)

for adjustment longitudinally of the frame The carriage 21 is clamped in adjusted posi tion by means of clamping pieces 23. A

I coiled contractile spring 24 attached at one end to the slide21 and at its other end to a tension-adjustment bolt 25 tends to move the slide 21 in the direction to take-slackout of the chain 7 jWhen it is necessary to tighten the chain 7 it will ordinarily be necessary I merely to loosen the clamping pieces 23 and permit the spring 24 to move the slide 21 to theleft, after which the clamping pieces 23 may be tightened to hold the slide 21 firmly in place. When necessary, the bolt may be operated to increase the spring tension.

-Rails 26 and 27 (Figs. 2 and 3) secured in the framework 1 underlie the upper and lower runs of the chain and prevent the latter from sagging.

Theyarn guide or trumpet 28 (Fig. 2) is secured to the-upper end of an arm 29 which is pivoted in the carriage 5 to swing upon the axis 30. Rigid with thejarm 29 is a crank arm 31 carrying a cam follower roller 32 that runs in a guide groove. The major portion 33 of said guide groove is straight, being defined by two parallel bars 34 (Figs. 2 and 5) which are rigidly secured by means of screws 35 (Fig. -4) to a bar 36 forming part of the framework 1. The end portions 37 and 38 (Fig. 5) of the-guide groove are formed in cam bars 39 and 40. The cam bar 39 is rigidly securedto the frame bar 36 by means of screws 41. The cam bar 40 is rigidly attached to the slide 21 by means of screws 42 (Figs. 5 and 6). The cam bar 40 is adjustably secured to the frame bar 36 by means of screws 43 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) which extend through slots 44 in the cam bar and into treaded openings in the bar 36. The screws 43 serve as guide studs to-maintain-the righthand end of the "cam groove 38 in alinement with the left-hand end of the straight or dwell portion 33 ofthe guide groove. I The cam groove 37 is of such form as to swing the arm 29 on its pivot 30 toward the right as the guide is nearing the right-hand end of its travel, whereas the cam groove 38 is so shaped as to cause the arm 29 to swing toward the left asit nears the left-hand end of its path.

Theoperation of the traverse mechanism and the character of the wind produced thereby will be best understoodby reference to Fig.5. I Vihile the pivot 10 is moving from the point 00 to the point 3 the speed of the carriage is gradually reduced to zero. When the pivot 10 is at the point at the roller 32 is about to enter the cam groove 37. Said cam groove is of'such form as to cause the speed of the thread guide to be difierent from that of the carriage. In the particular embodiment herein shown of the invention, the camgroove "37 is so shaped as to cause acceleration of the yarn guide 28 notwithstanding the fact that the carriage 5 is decelerated. The acceleration of the thread'guide produced by the cam groove 37 is relatively rapid at first and-then decreases as the carriage approaches the extreme, right-hand end of its. travel. Just before the carriage reverses itsdirection of'motion, the guide 28 is sharply retarded or decelerated. A reverse operation of the thread guide occurs as the pivot 10' moves from the-point y'to the point .2.

Due to the acceleration of the thread'guide while the chain'is being laid in the region at in Fig. 5, less yarn is laid upon the ball per unit length ofball than during thewinding of the portions at either side of the re gion :0, thus producing in theregion wa less densely-woundsection. Because of the lag of the chain between the guide 28 and the point of contact .of the chain and the ball, slightly more yarn:v is laid in the extreme end region 211 than on an equivalent length of the main portion of the ball, notwithstanding the sharp reversal of the guide. The pressure of the ball againstthe friction drum A causes the mo're densely-wound end portion a to squeeze into the less densely-wound region a2 as well as to bulge out somewhat at the end of the ball, such bulging being so slight not to be objectionable;

The guide 28 is similarlyactuated at the opposite end of its travel.

The chain makes a relatively sharp bend as its motion is reversed, the bend being sharper than in certain traverse mechanisms of the prior art. It will be understood that as the ball increases in diameter, the bend occupies fewer degrees of the circumference of the ball.

It will be apparent from Fig. 1 that the traverse mechanism extends but little beyond the vertical plane of the forward side of the ball andhence does not cause inconvenience to the operative.

Being self-contained and :readily detachable from the warper, the traverse mechanism ing of such formation as to cause acceleration of the yarn guide as the carriage approaches the ends of its travel.

' 2. A ball warper traverse mechanism comprising a carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage, an arm pivoted on said carriage, a yarn guide on said arm, means having a cam extending along the path of said carriage, and a crank arm connected to the first mentioned arm and engaging said cam, the end portions of said cam being of such formation as to cause acceleration of the yarn guide as the carriage approaches the ends of its travel.

3 A ball warper traverse mechanism comprising a carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage, a yarn guide movably supported on said carriage, and cams near the ends of the path of said carriage, said cams being of such formation as to cause acceleration of the yarn guide as the carriage approaches the ends of its travel.

4. A ball warper traverse mechanism comprising a carriage, meansfor reciprocating said carriage, said means acting to decelerate the carriage at the ends of its travel, a yarn guide movably supported on said carriage, cam means extending along the path of the carriage, and cam-engaging means connected to the guide, said cam means causing the speed of the yarn guide at the ends of its travel to be difierent from that of the carriage.

5. The combination with a warper framework, of a self-contained ball-warper traverse mechanism comprising an elongated framework, rollers to support said elongated framework on the floor, means for detachably securing said elongated framework to the warper framework, traverse mechanism on.

said elongated framework, and means to drive said mechanism.

6. The combination with a warper comprising a supporting framework, means in said framework to support a beam, and means in said framework to rotate the beam, of a self-contained ball warper traverse mechanism comprising an elongated support ing framework, means for detachably securing the last mentioned framework to the lower forward portion of the warper frame work, traverse mechanism on the elongated framework, and means on said elongated framework for transmitting power from the beam-rotating means to the traverse mechamsm.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

HOWARD D. COLMAN. 

